


One Happy Afternoon

by BunnyJess



Category: Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics), Red Hood: Lost Days, Under the Red Hood
Genre: Catherine Todd is a good mum, Childhood, Childhood Memories, Dancing, Fluff, Food, Gen, Happy, Homework, JTBW18, Jason Todd's Birthday, Latino Jason Todd, Memories, There is NO Willis Todd in this, jtbdayweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 11:15:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15629568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyJess/pseuds/BunnyJess
Summary: Just a small memory for Jason of him and Catherine having fun in their kitchen.





	One Happy Afternoon

It was one of those rare beautiful sunny days in Gotham where the breeze was just enough to cool the usually oppressive heat. The humidity had melted away overnight and every citizen was feeling the benefit of a better day. Jason Todd was no exception. He was a small six year old boy who was running home from school, desperate to see his mum (Catherine) to check she was still alive.

Jason had a typical childhood for the first few years of his life, not that he remembered. His dad, Willis, managed to find and hold down a legal job while his mum worked as a waitress. He’d been happy, his family had been able to live and enjoy each other. Then it’d all changed and Willis had gone back to crime and drugs. He’d started beating both his wife and son, despite how they couldn’t defend themselves. Catherine started using heroin to ease the pain and nightmares of her situation leading to days where she forgot she’d ever had a son. This spiral led to Jason racing home from school every day to check he still had one parent. His dad had been carted off by police six months previous and Catherine had been secretly trying to get clean ever since.

Today however, was an exception. Slowly but surely Catherine had been weaning herself off the drugs, knowing the dangers of going cold turkey from heroin. She’d even managed to find work at the local library during his school hours so she could be more present for him. The small boy, smaller than average for his age due to the chronic lack of food, burst through the front door and felt his heart stop. He’d seen his mum improve over the six months since Willis was taken away but that fear still gripped his very being. He could hear the magical tones of his mum’s singing floating through the decrepit apartment and felt all his negative emotions wash away. The song was a Spanish number she’d told him his Abuela used to sing to her.

Catherine swayed out from the kitchen and smiled at her black haired, blue eyed boy. Love flooded her heart and she scooped him into a crushing hug. He could feel her pressing kisses into his unruly curly hair while he wrapped his own arms around her. Today was a good day he concluded. She guided him through to the kitchen and pointed at the table, insisting he get his homework out the way. She had left a couple of books by his seat and Jason knew instantly that they’d be reading them together that night. He excelled in reading even when he was such a quiet boy; his dad had beaten any chattiness out of him. His teachers were astounded by his ability to exceed reading ages and understand any book he put his mind to.

Catherine continued to sing and dance around the kitchen throwing together tamales of differing stuffing’s. She’d been paid that day and was stocking their freezer for when the painful end of the month came. As she’d been raised, Catherine was also making a few extras to spread around their neighbours who’d always been there to help her and Jason during their most horrid time.

Jason sank into his chair; homework nearly completed, and just watched his mum making the tamales with a speed he hoped to one day manage. Wrapping and placing them in the large pot was like second nature to her and it was almost hypnotising for him to watch. He’d only meant to glance up, stuck as he was on a maths question, but her happy and carefree mood just pulled him in.

Rubbing at his eyes, Jason managed to pull his gaze back onto the homework before him. He knew if he got it finished in time he could help Catherine. It was something he’d always enjoyed but, whereas before it involved cleaning her cuts and icing bruises; now it meant cooking dinner or dancing around the living room. Jason couldn’t remember when he’d last felt this happy, this carefree. A smile so big it hurt his cheeks was glowing on his face as Catherine turned to face him. He could see the love and devotion in her eyes as she watched him do his maths homework.

It didn’t take long for the small boy from Crime Alley to finish his homework. Stuffing it all back into his worn backpack, Jason jumped up and went to help Catherine. He felt himself be drawn into her happy bubble and before long he was singing and dancing along with her. The tamales were soon all in the pot so Catherine took her son’s small hands in hers and started a simple box step around the kitchen. Her voice was their music and their happiness was the beat they’d always needed.


End file.
